Injuries have always been part of the NFL. But a recent study by Mass General Brigham, Boston University, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation has rocked the league, revealing that NFL players face a significantly higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

The research examined 19,824 athletes who played in the NFL between 1960 and 2019, making it one of the largest health studies ever conducted on league players.

"This is the clearest population-level evidence we have ever had that NFL players are dying due to neurodegenerative disease at real and measurably higher rates," shared Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, chair of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School, said in an interview Thursday with ESPN.

During the interview with ESPN on Thursday, co-senior author Dr. Daneshvar explained that the study had found that the rate of neurodivergent disease death was much “more significant” for the younger players than older ones.

The research further expressed that those players who died before the age of 60 had 12-fold higher rates of neurodegenerative diseases than the general population.

While the findings were expected by the researchers, what caught them off guard was that skill-position players were nearly twice as likely as offensive and defensive linemen to die from a neurodegenerative disease.

Highlighting the issue, the study found that skill-position players sustain more frequent impacts.

That may explain why they have higher rates of neurodegenerative diseases, which, according to the study were "potentially related to greater cumulative g-force exposure, which [has] been associated with higher [neurodegenerative disease] risk."

That said, the study also showcased that the NFL players are less likely to suffer from cancer or heart disease, as they are generally healthier.

However, the findings are significant, with researchers arguing that the league has done little to nothing to make the game safer.

Doctor points out the one change that could make the NFL safer

The game has changed dramatically over the decades, with new rules introduced to make it safer. Improved protective gear, on-field medical support, team doctors, and many other safety measures have been implemented.

However, researchers believe that none have been able to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases for the NFL players.

In fact, they pointed out that longer amateur football careers and increasingly stronger, faster athletes may be offsetting recent safety gains.

"The research suggests that the most effective way to decrease someone's risk of neurodegenerative disease is to decrease the total amount of force to the head they've experienced, by changing when they start playing contact sports, by changing the way they practice," Daneshvar said during the same interview, per ESPN.

When ESPN reached out to NFL executives for a response, they did not immediately comment.

However, the study is certain to send shockwaves through the league. What are your thoughts on the new study? Will the NFL take any action?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit